The invention is directed generally to food products and to their methods of preparation. In particular, the invention is directed to improved aerated confectionery products of multiple colors such as marshmallows and to processes for making such improved aerated, confectionery products.
Aerated confections are popular food items. Some aerated confections comprise a fat constituent while others are substantially free of such fat constituents. An illustrative fat free aerated confection is the common marshmallow. Such marshmallow products are familiar in both larger and smaller sizes.
It is well know that such marshmallows when fresh are soft and pliable but will stale by losing moisture and become hard. Indeed, purposefully pre-dried aerated confections are also well known. These products, particularly in smaller or bit sizes, are popularly commonly added to Ready-To-Eat (xe2x80x9cRTExe2x80x9d) breakfast cereals, particularly those marketed to children. Due to their small size (i.e., having a number count of 4 to 6/g), these dried aerated confectionery marshmallow products are sometimes colloquially referred to as xe2x80x9cMar.xe2x80x9d bits or xe2x80x9cmarbitsxe2x80x9d. The marbits must be pre-dried prior to admixture with the RTE cereal in order to reduce unwanted moisture migration from the marbit to the cereal and thus to forestall the multiple problems resulting therefrom.
While there are many types of marshmallow on the market, their methods of preparation generally fall into two main process groups: extruded marshmallow and deposited marshmallow. In both types, a sugar syrup and a structuring agent such as an albumin, agar or, preferably a gelatin solution are the two main ingredients. Typically, the sugar syrup is cooled down, and then combined with the gelatin solution to form a slurry. That slurry is then aerated to form a foam, and after aeration, colors and flavors are then added to the foam. The particular marshmallow product may be formed into its final shape by an extrusion process. That is, after aeration, the foam is extruded through a die to form a rope. The die imparts the desired peripheral shape to the extrudate rope. The rope is allowed to rest briefly to stiffen, and then is cut into desired sizes. For dried marshmallows, the process can additionally include one or more drying steps. (See, for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,551 issued Nov. 2, 1988 to W. J. Meyer entitled xe2x80x9cMethod of Drying Confection Piecesxe2x80x9d).
While marshmallows of a single color are most common, marshmallows having two or even a plurality of colors (collectively herein, xe2x80x9cmulti-coloredxe2x80x9d) are also known (see, for example, D 376,039 issued Dec. 3, 1996 entitled xe2x80x9cFood Productxe2x80x9d showing a two color marbit design) as well as methods for their preparation. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,380 issued Oct. 20, 1986 entitled xe2x80x9cMulticolor Confection Extrusion System and 5,019,404 issued Feb. 28, 1990 entitled xe2x80x9cMulticolor Confection Extrusion Systemxe2x80x9d, each of which are incorporated herein by reference). Both the ""404 and ""380 well describe the difficulties and sensitivities of such foam product preparation. The conventional processes for making multi-colored marshmallows, teach to divide the aerated foam into a plurality of substreams, to admix a colorant into each substream create a desired color, and then extrude these colored substreams in substantially equal portions into a single rope.
While useful, these known processes necessarily have limitations. Foremost among these limitations is that the differently colored sub-streams must be combined in substantially equal proportions (e.g., 1:1 for two colors; 1:1:1 for three colors, etc.). This requirement limits the artistic freedom in finished products wherein substantially unequal proportions of color might be desired, e.g., a two color design comprising ⅔ of one color and ⅓ of the second, or even more unbalanced, namely, 95% of the first color and only 5% of the second. The prior art requirement for equal proportions of each color is due to the peculiarly compressible nature of the marshmallow foams such that even slight variations in pressure and shear, such as resulting from even small differences in piping size, length or that result from attempts to restrict flow rates, have amplified effects on the texture and rheological properties of the foam. As a consequence, known methods cannot provide multicolored marshmallow products having unequal proportions of each color. In particular, such problems are even more severe in connection with the provision of multicolored marbits due to the inherent difficulties of such miniaturization.
Given the state of the art, there is a continuing need for new and useful processes for the production of multi-colored marshmallow products wherein the colored phases are of unequal proportion. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide methods for the production of multicolored marshmallows of disparately proportioned colored phases.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide novel multi-colored marshmallows characterized by color phases of unequal distribution.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide methods for the preparation of multicolored marbits having disparately proportioned colored phases.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide novel multi-colored marbits characterized by color phases of unequal proportion.
Surprisingly, the above objects can be realized and novel multicolored marshmallows and marbits of unequally proportioned color phase can be provided as well as methods for their preparation.
In its product aspect, the present invention resides in aerated confections having a plurality of dissimilarly colored phases importantly characterized by being substantially unequal in proportion.
The aerated confections comprise
about 50 to 95% of a saccharide component about 1 to 30% moisture
about 0.5 to 30% of a structuring agent.
The confections have densities of 0.10 to 0.4 g/cc.
The confections have at least a first phase of a first color ("khgr") and at least a second phase of a second color (xcex3). The weight ratio of the "khgr" or first color phase and the xcex3 or second phase are substantially unequal. By substantially unequal it is meant that "khgr"/xcex3 greater than 1.1.
Novel marbits are provided additionally characterized by a size count of 3 to 6/g and having a moisture content of 1 to 5%.
In its process aspect, the present invention is directed to processes for making an aerated, confectionery product of multiple colors, particularly of unequal color proportions, that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the prior art. To achieve the advantages of the invention and in accordance with the purposes of the invention, as embodied and broadly directed herein, the invention is directed to a process for making a multi-colored, aerated product.
The process comprising the steps of:
preparing a slurry comprising about 5 to 30% water, about 50% to 95% of a saccharide ingredient, and about 0.5 to 30% of a structuring ingredient having a predetermined first color;
dividing the slurry into at least first and second portions;
separately meter pumping each slurry portion to control the rate of the slurry portion;
admixing a colorant of a color different from the first color into at least one portion to provide a plurality of at least a first and a second differently colored slurry portions;
aerating the first differently colored portion to form a first aerated foam stream of said first color;
aerating the second differently colored portion to form a second aerated foam stream of said second color;
after the step of aerating the second portion, feeding the second aerated foam stream to the die manifold; and
extruding the first and second aerated streams to form a rope of said first and second colors wherein the weight ratio of first stream (xe2x80x9c"khgr"xe2x80x9d) to second stream (xe2x80x9cxcex3xe2x80x9d) is "khgr"/xcex3 greater than 1.1.
In its batch embodiment, the process includes, as a first step, preparing a slurry of water, sugar(s), and a structuring ingredient such as gelatin. The slurry is divided into at least first and second portions. The portions are formed into disparate colored portions such as by admixing a first dye of a first color to the first portion, and adding a second dye of a second color, which is different from the first color, is added into the second portion. Next, after adding the first dye into the first portion, the first portion is aerated to form a first aerated stream of the first color. After adding the second dye into the second portion, the second portion is aerated to form a second aerated stream of the second color.
In certain preferred implementations, after the step of aerating the first portion, the first aerated stream is conveyed at a controlled flow rate to a die manifold. After aerating the second portion, the second aerated stream is conveyed to a die manifold at a control flow rate. The first and second aerated streams are then extruded to form a rope having phases of the first and second colors importantly characterized by the phases being substantially unequal in proportion.
Preferably, after the step of extruding, the rope is cut into individual pieces to form multicolored wet confection pieces. For the production of marbits, after the step of cutting, the individual pieces are dried to a predetermined moisture content. In certain applications, that predetermined moisture content may be about 1 to 5%.
In one preferred embodiment, the step of dividing the slurry may include dividing the slurry into no fewer than four portions, including a first portion, a second portion, a third portion, and a fourth portion. A different color dye may be then added to each different portion. Each of these portions are then aerated, and extruded to form a rope of four different colors.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrates an embodiment of the invention and together with the description, serves to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawing: